The Asian Language

Khanbaliq "City of the Khan" in MONGOLIAN. The capital of China when the country was ruled by the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271-1368); better known today as Beijing. The Mongols' political center was originally Karakorum in central Mongolia but was moved to Khanbaliq in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan. The city was also called Dadu, meaning "Great Capital" in Chinese. The name Beijing -"Northern Capital" - did not come into use until the 15th century.

khanda (FIG.2) PUNJABI in Sikhism, a special double-edged sword. The word also refers to the Sikh symbol (pictured). The khanda at the center of the emblem represents God's concern for truth and justice; it is flanked by two kirpans, or curved swords, which symbolize God's spiritual and temporal authority. The circle (called chakkar) stands for the oneness of God.

khandha PALI literally "aggregates" (called "skandha" in SANSKRIT). In Buddhist philosophy, the five factors that constitute the self. These are rupa (physical form), vedana (sensation), sanna (perception), sankhara (mental formation) and vinnana (consciousness).

khansama HINDI/URDU once referred to a house steward; nowadays it is more likely to mean a cook in a European household. The word is derived from the grand official in a Mughal palace, the Khan-i-Saman (Chief of Stores).

khao THAI rice. Thailand is the world's top exporter of rice, shipping 6.2 million tons in 1995 (this year, the projected figure is lower - 5 million tons - because of losses incurred through heavy floods last year). Due to a labor shortage, there are worries that export levels will continue to drop; agricultural workers have recently been going over to more secure jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors. A consequence of this trend has been an influx of illegal laborers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and China, and one is likely to find rice-export facilities crowded with foreign workers. Rice being the main sustenance of life, Thais treat it with respect and carry out special ceremonies during planting and harvesting periods to appease the rice goddess. Visitors to the country are advised against throwing away rice.

Khaqani (c.1106-c.1190) Persian poet. Known for his qasida (panegyric for rulers or patrons) and ghazal (lyrical poem dealing primarily with love). A pilgrimage to Makkah in 1156/57 produced one of his greatest works, Tuhfat al-Iraqayn ("Gift of the Two Iraqs") - a masvadi (epic poem) in five parts describing his travels.

kharaj ARABIC tax that was imposed on Muslim converts by the Umayyad caliphate (661-750). The converts were in theory supposed to be treated the same as original Muslims, who paid no taxes on their lands (Christian, Jewish or Zoroastrian inhabitants of Islamic territories, on the other hand, were subject to a poll tax, or jizya), but the authorities saw the kharaj as a way out of their financial difficulties. Needless to say, the kharaj was not warmly received, and it was one of the contributing factors behind a revolt that ultimately brought down the caliphate.

kharif HINDI/URDU derived from the ARABIC word for the southwest monsoon. In India, the term refers to the winter crop, normally sown towards the end of the monsoon season (which lasts from June to September) and harvested in November or December. This mostly comprises rice and millet, but also includes maize, oilseed, sugarcane and groundnuts.

Kharoshti writing system used in northwestern India between 300 BC and 400 AD. Believed to be derived from Aramaic, Kharoshti was probably brought to the subcontinent by Persians. It is written from right to left, whereas indigenous South Asian writings, including the Brahmi script that eventually replaced Kharoshti, go from left to right. Some of Emperor Asoka's famous edicts, found as stone engravings all over India, are rendered in Kharoshti.

Khashoggi, Adnan (FIG.3) (b. 1935) flamboyant Saudi "merchant-statesman." The son of the personal physician of Ibn Saud (founder of Saudi Arabia), Khashoggi had the knack of bringing people together and pulling off deals. He dropped out of college in the U.S. to concentrate on exploiting his talent and made his fortune in the 1970s through multimillion-dollar commissions from lucrative deals that he set up, especially arms transactions between U.S. firms and the Saudi government. Before long he was regarded as the world's richest man, known for his ostentatious lifestyle and his rich, famous and powerful friends. The 1980s proved to be a difficult period: liquidity problems brought about by falling oil prices and poor investment decisions forced him to sell off much of his assets (including the Nabila, a 285-foot luxury yacht that appeared in Sean Connery's unofficial James Bond pic, Never Say Never Again). It was also revealed that he had played the middleman in the Iran-Contra affair, in which Washington had tried to sell weapons covertly to Tehran (Khashoggi maintains that he lost money in the collapsed deal). In 1990 he stood trial in the U.S. for illegal property deals involving the Marcoses of the Philippines (he was acquitted).

Khasi hill people who inhabit the Indian state of Meghalaya. Related to the Shan people of Myanmar, the Khasis are noted for their traditionally matrilineal society: property is passed down the female line - though it is the men who are charged with managing such property. The Khasi language belongs to the Mon-Khmer group, with borrowings from Bengali and Hindi.

khat from ARABIC qatt. Evergreen East African shrub (Catha edulis) whose leaves are chewed for their narcotic effect. Banned in most Arab countries - but not in Yemen, where soldiers have been allocated the khat as part of their rations. Avid users claim khat-chewing reduces stress and helps them think clearly; critics say it can lead to behavioral and psychological disorders.

khatam FARSI marquetry. Traditional woodcraft involving the use of different types of wood, metals and ivory to form colorful, decorative patterns that are applied to furniture, picture frames, musical instruments and boxes. The art of the khatam was once so highly regarded that it was mandatory learning for scions of the Persian royalty.